


Shichiyou

by doomedpassion2yaoi



Category: Vampire Knight
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 14:17:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3212237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doomedpassion2yaoi/pseuds/doomedpassion2yaoi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dynasty inhabited by the Shichiyou Clan is dead and long forgotten, until an overzealous Kiryuu Zero searches for the key...</p><p>The first chapter is coming soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first draft still exists [here](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4740087/1/Shichiyou). It is still a WIP, like all my other works. I think my first chapter improved a lot, but I'm slightly biased and am concussed. =)
> 
> February 27, 2015: On another note, since Matsuri Hino claims her work as post-apocalyptic, I have decided to fit it into the same universe as my Teen Wolf fic. However, it is set much later, possibly centuries after the timeline of my Teen Wolf fic. I am still deciding whether some of those characters will survive into this timeline...but possibly not.
> 
> In light of this change, Zero will always refer to himself as male, as will the narrator.
> 
> As in the notes of Tauris (Teen Wolf fic), Tauris (or Taurii, the plural) is a true intersexed Vampire, Were or Human.

It has been forever since he and, Yuki and Kaname parted.

He has done nothing but travel, he has to find the _key_. It is somewhere in the bowels of the Archives. It has to be.

Its existence is written in the books.

 

It’s quiet, the hush of waiting. He scurries down the steps. He heads straight for the basement, his family records. It takes longer than he remembers to reach the bottom. Maybe, it’s fear. But he is never afraid. Or, he has forgotten how to be afraid when he killed Kuran Rido,

There is dust on the stairs. There can be no mistake that he is making prints on the rough stone with his boots. The door is heavy, and it takes a while for him to push it open. The hinges squeal in protest, but there is no one to hear.

Very few Hunters come down to the Archives.

 

Trembling, he lifts his fingers to the first scroll. This is it. He takes a breath and blows dust off the cover. He slides the wooden end out of the fabric and unties the knot.

He lays the ancient fabric on the table and reads by moonlight. He is lucky to have her on his side tonight. If not, he will have lit a candle and the intrusion will be discovered in the morning, if someone from the Association comes by (this is not a regular occurrence; the Archives, once looked after by the Kiryu’s non-combatant members, of which his mother was a member prior to her death, has been sealed since the Hio Shizuka attack). His movements, he hopes will be secret for just a while longer. He has no interest in being found before he is ready to continue his mission.

Each line tells him nothing more than he already knows. He moves from ancient scrolls to musty bound paper.

It cannot be!

According to legend, the Kiryu clan appeared directly after the disappearance of the pureblood monarchy, known by their family name Shichiyou (the seven luminaries: the sun, the moon… or the appearance of the bloody moon).

There is nothing more he can gather from the archives. The key must exist. It must be hidden in the ruins of his ancestral home.

He must return to the place, where it began, where he began, where he became the thing he is now. Has it been fifteen years already?

He tears through town to the woods where his family’s ancestral ruins still stand. He has never really understood the logistics of the first Hunter house living so far from the town they created. It takes longer than he expected as he jumps from shadow to shadow and keeps his features cloaked with his hood. He avoids the few straggling Hunters.

He is no one to them, only a level C, now that he has turned away his position as the Association’s President.

Lights flicker as he sprints the last kilometer out of town.

He stands for a moment outside the broken still standing stone.

It’s dark inside, swallowing all light. He takes a breath and pushes at the rotting wood of the door. It doesn’t budge. He sighs. As he removes his hand, he nicks his palm against a piece of bent wood. He shoves a bit at the door, and yanks to get the wood out of his hand.

The door creaks open.

He raises a brow, shouldn’t this place be better guarded?

He walks in. The air is warm and dry. Candles in chandeliers flicker to life. They wink and wave at him from the mirrors. The halls gleam their marble glory without centuries of grime. What the hell? It isn’t possible. There’s old magic in the air. It scratches into his spine and he shudders. Why would his predecessors, his ancestors, use this type of magic? It reeks of Pureblood Vampires! He knows better than anyone. How has no one ever seemed to complain?

He has to get to the bottom of this.

He walks close to the walls, hoping not to trigger any traps. He doesn’t. He has been too well trained and the house recognizes him as of the bloodline – its last true Master. It will not hurt him. It will do anything to protect him. It will call on the last of the ones who swore to protect this house. It knows they still live. It will call and they will come.

He doesn’t know that of course, young and foolish that he is, not knowing the truth about his own Clan. But then, very few in the recent years did. The truth, though forgotten, is hidden in the scrolls.

The house will lead its Master home, to the heart.

And that is where Zero is headed – the Central Library.

The door is sealed – typical – and it requires a blood sacrifice. Why am I not surprised? He sighs and pricks his finger on the appointed gold pin letting blood drop – one drop will suffice – into the rounded recess carved into the stone door. The Library opens the door for him. He rolls his eyes. Dramatic old codgers.

He walks into the centre of the library. On the only table lies an open scroll. Absently, he picks it up. It may be useful.

During the first Blood War, the pureblood monarchy Shichiyou used their powers to force submission from humans. Every village was to pay tribute to their people, the Vampires.

At first the humans paid tribute in terms of sacrifice. The sacrifice entailed a boy and a girl child of fourteen summers. The Vampires were to kill them and take their blood. And as agreed the Vampires were not to torture, rape or harm the sacrifice while they were alive or to mar their bodies once they were dead, but to return the bodies to the villagers. But one year, the corpses of the sacrifice were defiled, and the humans banded together and revolted. All fear of Vampires was dispelled due to the severance of the contract.

It was about this time that the Shichiyou clan realized their mistake as the cause of this second Blood War. They had arrogantly maintained that Vampires were the superior race and that humans were prey. They realized that so long as that mentality existed, there would never be peace between the two races. They would never create a symbiotic relationship. Thus, the Shichiyou clan retreated into darkness and was never heard of again. It was about this time that the Kiryu clan appeared. They fought for none, but themselves.

It was said then that in bloody times of the future, the Shichiyou clan would awake from darkness. The monarch would choose the way the future of the world once more.

Right. So the conspiracy theory is that the Kiryu are descended from Vampires. As if.

Zero carries the fabric with him around the grounds. The rooms in the castle are as abandoned as the grounds but retains an impossible fresh newness. Tired he searches for a room to rest.

All the rooms are locked, except the Master bedroom.

The double doors creak inward when Zero pushes against them. He rolls his eyes. Stupid bastards forcing this. As much as it was a clever ploy to force the last master of the house to take the seat – Zero doesn’t think it to be an honour when it is a forced issue. He doesn’t want to be master of a legacy that possibly connects him to the Ancients or the current Vampires. He hates them, especially Purebloods.

Too late now. He is here and has just ascended the seat. He is the last master of the Kiryu house and its secrets.

He hears the clicks of metal against metal. The other doors are unlocking. Old Magic!

It may as well be a curse.

He flops on the bed without removing his boots and his jacket. It has nothing to do with revenge against the house and its curse. It’s more of him desiring sleep. But the scroll that he carried with him catches his attention again:

The Kiryu clan was born to make peace between humans and Vampires. They were a third party to the Second Blood War. They made weapons that could kill both humans and vampires.

Several paragraphs down:

As time passed, the Kiryu clan began to sympathize more with humans. They became known as Hunters for their attacks against the Vampires. The head of the clan took in several students. These students excelled and they created clans of their own.

Zero groans and falls back on the bed. He tosses the book onto the ground. A sheet of paper, not as musty as the scroll, slips out with a crinkle. He picks it up:

When the darkness rises, the spell below will be of use. The seal on the Kiryu (Shichiyou) clan will be removed. Once the time has come, there will be no going back. The last of the bloodline will invoke said spell. It will haunt him until the spell is cast.

So, it _is_ true.

Zero drops the paper to the ground. It reappears in his hand once more. He relaxes his grip. It folds itself into his jean pocket. He has come back to this estate for a weapon and not be told that he was the last in line in the Vampire monarchy. A small part of him whispers – but knowledge is power and power can be wielded like weaponry.

The Shichiyou are children of the sun and the moon. They are a clan with the power of creation. Every element in this world belongs to the Shichiyou. They are the last of the Taurii, but not all are of that fruit.

But for those that are the chances of bearing fruit is higher than that of ordinary vampires, since all vampires below the Shichiyou, in terms of fertility is ordinary in comparison, whether they be Pureblood or not. It is also important to know that Shichiyou mate for both love and for power, so that their offspring can be more powerful than they, in order to preserve their lineage.

If his own parents read the spell, will he and Ichiru have been married off to other purebloods or to each other?

He shivers; their bloodline is terrifying.

He goes to the curtains by the bed. He pulls them open and the glass doors open for him. He walks out to the balcony and climbs onto the stone bench. He stares out onto the grounds of Hunter’s Association and its town of Hunters.

He smirks sadly.

No wonder, Zero is attracted to both Yuki and Kaname. They come from a powerful clan, the Kuran. But it is Kaname with whom he has fallen in love and Yuki who was his first crush. He wonders whether it was because of he was becoming more and more of a vampire. Whether Kaname, Yuki or his own brother have given him blood, after ingesting part of Shizuka Hio's body, he still won't have become a level E. The seal will have broken upon reaching threshold: he will have been a level E for less than a millisecond before the tainted blood left his body. What won’t he give for that? it will have given the Night Class heart attacks at the sight of him spewing up blood and having it ooze out from his pores. But then, there may have been one more insane Pureblood. And he will have gotten dead by Kaname’s hand.

Aish, I bet the Vampires will freak out when they find out that the Shichiyou became the Kiryu and that I am purest of Purebloods instead of level E. What will Kaname and his followers say? I need to get him out of my head. He and Yuki are already mated by now.

Ichiru should not have died and neither should my parents, but that's the past, there is no point in wallowing in it, anymore. The future has to be brighter for everyone.

I have to stop the Purebloods from killing each other off. I won't be like the rest before me. No, I will make peace for everyone's sakes. I won't let anyone else go through what I have. I won't let anyone else lose the people they love.

In the darkness of the blind, give back the sight I seek

This Blood Moon, I seek the truth, my will shall seek

This Blood Moon, I ask for power, power that was mine

Power that is mine, power that will be mine

This Blood Moon, I honor my ancestors

I have not forgotten the sacrifices made

This Blood Moon, give me what I will

The moon rose red as blood.

There is a pulse, as if the world has just begun to awaken.

Zero’s blood burns. His follicles twist. His innards flush against each other. He wraps his arms around his shaking core, holding himself whole as each cell within his body is wakes.

He falls against the stone guardrails and tumbles over the balcony into the rosebushes below.

 

Energy swells in the ether and Vampires begin to wake to the night as they have forgotten they could. Every atom of their bodies is sensitized. For the first time in hundreds of years, maybe even thousands, and the world appears younger. And they are all prepared to say that it is spinning faster than ever.

The Vampires begin to march, trot and scamper. The last of their greatest and purest calls. They begin to move in one direction. They are going home Shichiyou Castle has once been. They care little that it is in the direction of Kiryu Manor, when their most powerful is Awake. The Hunters have no power over them now.

Under the ruined cloak of Kiryu Manor, Castle Shichiyou remains solid. Where its spira pierce the sky the red moon's light strips off illusion. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear reader,
> 
> If you have read this fic. before, you'll have noticed that certain details have been added, as I mentioned last night (January 20, 2016). In addition, my presentation of the entire chapter has changed. I have re-organized certain paragraphs and added spaces between certain paragraphs to "correct" the pacing of the chapter - to make time move properly and beautifully on the page.
> 
> doomedpassion
> 
> P.S. I'm posting this from my university library computer and I almost signed this with my given name. That would kind of be awkward, since I hope not to be associated with people like Stephanie Meyer, even though I love Cassie Clare! I don't want my soon to be published works being influenced by what is written here, since I have been given negative comments about the subject matter here of the gay hating kind.
> 
> I AM BI and I write LGBT characters (as the protagonist) in real life. I don't want readers to have an excuse to "bash" me in both forums simultaneously.
> 
> But I will accept comments that tell me my position as a woman might not be the best to write gay male relationships or even gay female relationships. I've never been in a relationship at all. So I guess everything I write is just an idealization of what I think a relation should be or shouldn't be.
> 
> Now that we've got that clear, please leave a comment.


	2. Chapter 2

Though the Shichiyou estate has not seen daylight for thousands of years (since the sealing), it is still very clean and new both inside and outside. Still the silver, bronze and gold had to be polished and the floors scrubbed to a shine, the sheets washed and changed and various other things needed to be done, to make the palace much grander for the ball. They will need several pairs of hands to complete this task, so Tsukiyomi requests that Kain search for maid candidates.

Several modern appliances had to be added too. Yes, Tsukiyomi wanted to bring in a plasma television, stereo, DVD players, pool tables, and whatnot.

He has ordered some of the rooms to be renovated for new purposes. There will be a dance studio, where the stereo and mirrors will be installed. There will be an entertainment room where the DVD player, television and pool table will go. He even has had a greenhouse built and to house the swimming pool.

"I advise against this," said Kain.

"More than half of my inheritance is in a secured account in Switzerland. The rest, in a high interest account in this country, the money is still growing. There will be more than enough for the three of us," said Tsukiyomi. "Besides, I am making preparations for the next party.

“This will come much later after the one next month. The next is to have human officials come over with their children. The one after that will have humans and vampires at the same ball, which is why I am ordering this to be done now. The preparations have to start somewhere. The renovation will be after next month's ball. The equipment and appliances will be hidden well in the dungeons. You need not worry, Kain."

"Very good, hahaoya," Kain pinches the bridge of his nose.

His master, cousin, is much too…just too much. He has never expected to miss the sourness belonging to the former disciplinary committee prefect and Hunter. But he does. He wonders whether this may be Hana-chan’s doing. But that is not a route he wants to follow.

Tsukiyomi smiles at him. "As for the maids, I want you to pick the top ten from each list of twenty. Then when you have picked those sixty, I will divide them into two lists, thirty in each. You will then pick the top fifteen from each. When you have done that I want to interview the thirty that you have picked. When I ask you to pick, I want you to seriously interview them. I want some of half of the maids here to be human. One of the questions you will have to ask is whether they are averse to working with the other race. Do you understand? And this last bit is more request than order. If not, erase their memories, and send them a letter telling them that the space has been filled."

"Hai, hahaoya. By the way, have you noticed, Seiren's name on the list?" said Kain.

"I have, thank you for your concern," said Tsukiyomi. "I want her to try and find out as much as she can. I trust we will give nothing away. She is one of my chosen thirty, regardless what you say.”

“Don't give me that face, Akatsuki, I will be safe. From now on, you must never mention Kiryu Zero again. He is dead or at least the hunter, Kiryu Zero is dead. I am Tsukiyomi-ou or –sama, even in this house.

Seiren has agreed to enter my service today.” There is a hint of wistfulness in his voice.Yes, I am mocking Kuran Kaname, almost like the old days."

"When I gave word out, I signed the posters as Servant of the Shichiyou, as you commanded. You wanted it this way, didn't you, hahaoya?" Kain rests his hands behind his back.

"Yes, I do," said Tsukiyomi. "It will be an amusing month. Don't you think?"

The question is also meant for his ward, Hanabusa.

"Hai, hahaoya. I wonder how Seiren will act around us," a slow sly smile crawls upon his features. "This will be fun."

Both Kain and Tsukiyomi feel goosebumps grow on their skin. Both hope that whatever the impulsive boy saya or does won't cause too much trouble outside the castle.

The knocker cracks against the main door. Kain walks so fast that he nearly flies through the door, almost giving Seiren a run for her money on a good day. He runs down the stairs and panting slightly reaches the door, opens it, bowing slightly.

"Kain?"

"Kain Akatsuki, yes," he corrects her. "I am butler to the Shichiyou clan. I will take you to the drawing room to meet our master."

"Kaname-sama and Yuki-hime have been worried," said Seiren.

"Kuran Kaname-sama?" said Kain. "I'm sorry, but I have only been in his confidence for few occasions, though they were important." _If this is the way Aido wants to play this game, I might as well play along._ He walked briskly up the stairs. "I have always been waiting for my King to Wake, but he and his adopted son are the only ones I serve."

"Adopted son?" asked Seiren.

"Yes, his adopted son. He adopted him after he and I mated. The truth is the Kingis my cousin several times removed. I belong to the branch family and we were cut off when the main body of the clan sealed away their powers. If the KingWoke in my time I was to serve him. That was the pact; I had with Kuran Kaname-sama."

"…" Seiren knew in Vampire Customs that as long as a pact was unbroken or un-dissolved the pact would hold.

"My master is kind; he was raised as a human, like Yuki-hime, but his life was darker than Yuki-hime's, therefore he is stronger. When they do meet, Yuki-hime may become unhappy. So, you must comfort her. Ou-sama adopted Aido because they both pained of being alone. Aido adores his new mother and he loves him unconditionally. Aido, my love, vowed that he would destroy whoever tried to hurt his mother. I believe his words were ‘deep freeze’. I have no need to ask him to remove the pact anymore. He has my respect, for all he has done for us and gone through." _And what she will do, in the future._

They were at the door to the mysterious king’s room. Seiren stands to wait, while Kain opens the door. He is a sad stately, yet warm figure sitting on a divan. His face and hair are hidden behind a mask, there is only one eye hole, but it is so deep that Seiren cannot make out the colour of the pupil –and opaque headdress. Kneeling at his side, with his head on the Pureblood’s lap, is a head of mussed up blond hair. The man pets the boy’s his head.

"Seiren is here, Tsukiyomi ou-sama," said Kain.

The man looks up, his fingers still threaded into the boy's hair. "Kain please carry our sleeping prince back to his room." Hhe turned to Seiren.

"Seiren come closer I do not bite." Hesenses an almost fear radiate from Seiren. "Do I scare you? Why? I cannot have you work here, if I scare you."

It is the first time Tsukiyomi had seen the woman with a face of stone lose her cool.

"I don't care who you are, Tsukiyomi ou! What have you done to Kain and Aido?" cried Seiren. As much as she wants to suppress her fear, the man has already seen part of it.

"Show some respect for our master," Kain is silenced when Tsukiyomi-ou waves him away.

"All I have done is adopt Aido. We are very alike.

I have been alone for a long time," said Tsukiyomi. “If Kain has reason to leave, all the better.   I trust him that is enough for the both of us.”.

“There are rules you must follow when you are here. I told him that I prefer that he not use the honorific when we were in private. I have no need for it. If you stay that is what you will do. You must also remain in the areas that the magic of this house grants you access. If you anger the house, even I may not be able to save you.”

"How can you be so honest with your servants?" This is one reason of many for her fear. Another, is that Tsukiyomi ou-sama will not lie, but he will withhold information. If anyone is to lie in this household, it will be Kain and Aido. Kain respects the man and Aido adores his adoptive mother. They will do anything to protect her. Seiren grits her teeth. The mission Kaname-sama gave her, she is beginning to see how almost impossible it is.

Tsukiyomi leans over and peers at the silver haired girl, "Are you alright, Seiren? Shall I call Kain to show you to your room?"

"Yes," gasps Seiren. _How do I get the information? He is protected. I do not know his voice or face. How much does he know about me? If I knew Kain and Aido are here with her I will not have done this without disguising myself._

Seiren snaps out of her thoughts, when Kain grabs her by the arm and brings her to her room. He is talking to her.

"Sorry, I did not hear what you just said, Kain." she bows.

"My room is that one." He pointed at it. "It is beside Tsukiyomi-ou's. The prince's room is next to it."

"Kain," she asked softly. "Have you really forgotten about Kaname-sama?"

"No," he said. "But my place is here. I am sorry if I have offended you. I had to test you for the sake of my master. I know what you came to do, but as long as you work here and find nothing, then there is no need for me to report something that my master already knows to him."

"He is mocking Kaname-sama!" She attempts to punch the boy next to her, but her hand is caught and he pulls both her arms behind her and pushes her with his knee into the floor.

"I will have to send you back to the Kuran estates wounded, if you keep insulting our master under this roof," his voice is even, as if he just making a statement. But Seiren knows better. The words and the position they are in tells her that it is a threat. He had her pinned to the wall.

"Very well," her is voice just as even. "I will tell him just what happened exactly as it is as of now. Then I plan on staying until the month is out as was my contract with our mistress."

A gasp turns both Seiren and Kain.

Aido is rooted to the spot, a thousand emotions written across his face. The boy turns and runs to his mother's rooms and he rushes to his mother's side. He is taking off his veil and unclipping his hair. His long silver hair flowsdown to his ankles. He sighs and clipping his hair back up and pulled the veil over it. He wrapped his arms around the young blond and pulls him into seated position on his lap.

"Hana-ko (diminutive for child), what bothers you?"

"She wants Kain!" wails Aido.

"Kain loves you. He adores you. Why would he betray you? You are impulsive and brash, but delicate. It makes people want to protect you. You are caring and loyal. Then tell me, why Kain would betray you. I am sure it is just a misunderstanding."

"I-I used to flirt with all the ladies even…after…we…" said Aido.

There are footsteps in the hall. He picks up his mother’s mask and hands it to him.

The door opens with a bang.

"Hana!" Kain uses the nickname he always used to call Aido.

He practically crosses the room in four steps. He kneels in front of the mother and child. "Forgive me. I gave you the wrong impression."

He reaches for Aido's hand and catches it in his own. He kisses the back of the boy's hand and looks up. His mate's lips are fixed in a cute little pout. He takes this as an invitation to sweep the boy off his mother's lap and pulls him into a chaste kiss.

"Ready to forgive me now?"

"No," The blond is pouting still.

"And now?" He twirls the boy around then pulled the boy down into a dip.

"Yes," laughs Aido breathlessly.

The King claps his hands.

"Very good," he laughs. "I never knew you would do something so drastic to regain my baby's favour."

Kain flushes with pride. He has made his sad and lonely master laugh. It is an enormous feat because he had never laughed ever, especially when he was still Zero Kiryu. He releases his mate's waist, then intertwines their fingers. They look each other deep in the eyes smiling.

"Thank you," They bow together.

The King laughs again. It is the chiming of bells.

Seiren listens through the open door . She knocks upon the door to announce her presence. She walks in, her head held high, until she reaches Aido and Kain. She bows her head. "I am sorry if I had caused you sadness, otome-sama (prince)."

She walks a little further, curtsies to the King. "I am sorry for hurting your son, Tsukiyomi-hime (princess). Please forgive me."

The Kingtouches her head with his hand. "You are forgiven, but it means nothing, coming from me. What say you, Aido?"

"I-I…I can't forgive you. You came to spy for Kuran-san! You are lucky Seiren. I will not kill you for old time's sake. If I or Kain finds out you have been giving information to him, I will personally kill you, even if hahaoya says no. Even if…even if it means war!"

"Do not say things you will regret!" snaps the King. "I do not want you to have to pay for it."

Softening: "You are the most precious person in my life now. I will not survive if you are killed."

"Seiren, come with me. Let us leave them for now, until they both cool down," Kain touches the silver haired spy on the forearm.

Seiren has not come to cause pain to blossom in the heart of the Vampire King. "It seems I cannot do the job that Kaname-sama has given me. It is better that I leave."

Kain grasps her arm. "Stay here for the month. There are things that need to be done.

The silver haired woman pulls her arm free of him.

The butler tips his head to her. She loyalty is not with his master, but he must respect hers to her own. So:

“Tell me how Kuran-sama is and his wife."

"Kaname-sama and Yuki-hime are well. Kaname-sama is still searching for the whereabouts of Kiryu Zero. His scent and all traces of him disappeared, not far from here. At the old Kiryu manor, but it has burned down. "

Kain raises a brow. If only those fools knew. Oh, they will and how amusing it will be. Ah, there might be blood, but with Hana-chan and I are guarding our King, there will not be that much blood. They will not know what hit them.

"The villagers claim they spotted a lithe young man dressed in black from head to toe light a torch. They tried to catch this man, but when they caught up. They caught sight of this young man's face. They said that he was a vampire because of his fangs and his red eyes. All traces of that man's scent are gone."

"Ah." Kain smirks: fools.

"Were you even listening?" Seiren clenches her fists. “Kiryu must be found. He will be executed before our race will be.”

"Yes. I was."

"Anything else, you can tell us about Kiryu?"

"No."

"Very good, I was not listening when you said that the first time," he said. "Your first job is to get this invitation to Kuran-san and to convince him to come. Do you like the seal? The roses and vines are symbolic of our King. The other monarchs each have a different personalization of their own on their seals," said Kain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear reader,
> 
> I have made some minor adjustments to this chapter to help it match up with Ch. 1 (January 21, 2016).
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
> 
> doomedpassion


	3. Chapter 3

The sun is just beginning to rise on the moutains. The silver haired King watches as the red lips of dawn smile upon the earth. For too long he has shirked away from watching, from the memories, from Ichiru’s love of dawn. Here in the old house, he honours his dead, all for them. The pureblood clans of Hio and Kurenai came from the line of Shichiyou, closer to the Ancient blood than Kain. He pays their respects to them always when the sun changes, when the moon changes.  And he vows to never allow their tragedies, our tragedies, another cycle.

He turns into the darkness of the room – he has blown out his candles:

"Kain, you wanted to see me?"

"Hai hahaoya.” Kain’s lips twitch. “I have news. I asked Seiren and she responded. I believe that she gave us this information willingly, so that we will be on the lookout for Kiryu Zero."

"I wonder if they will get any leads." Tsukiyomi cards his fingers through his hair.

"If we did our jobs correctly, hahaoya, they will never find out, until the ball." Delight dances in Aido's eyes.

Unable to help it, Kain fully smirks:

"I plan to enjoy this to the fullest. Dropping the information on them will prove to be a better revenge than exterminating them.”

“Kain!”

“Don’t pretend that is not your mind, hahaoya.” Kain raises a brow. “You said once that you valued my opinion over your bullshit.”

“I suppose. Besides, extermination and killing do not agree with me. I told myself it was necessary, but I was lying to myself. From the start, I hated killing and hunting, but I was born into it, just as I was born into this position." Sadness creeps into Tsukiyomi's voice.

The young blond prince steps softly into his mother’s space. "We're here now. You don't have to be sad anymore."

"I know, Hana-chan," said Tsukiyomi. "It hurts still… "

"If you are feeling better I must tell you exactly what Seiren said. Apparently the villagers saw me set fire to the Kiryu mansion, after I brought all the books here and put them in the library. She said that they could not detect the unknown person because I destroyed my scent. She said that they concluded that it was a Vampire that set the fire. They are very close to the truth, are they not?"

"Yes, the stakes are high," Tsukiyomi clicks his tongue against his teeth. "We have to be careful until the ball. Then…"

"What is it that you have on your mind?" Kain clasps his hands behind his back.

"It is convenient that the ball will be on All Hallows Eve. Make it a masquerade," Tsukiyomi grins. "Please notify the invitees."

"Hai hahaoya," Kain bows out.

"Hahaoya, tell me what you have in mind, onegai-shimasu!" The blond brat gloms onto the silver haired pureblood.

"Nothing yet," Tsukiyomi sighs. "I just want to do something drastic, but not harmful…"

After a pause, "threats, public executions, serve for dinner…yes…I know what to do. Let us to bed. Sweet dreams, dear one." She kissed Aido on the forehead.

Seiren is safely tucked in her offered rooms. They are close to the King’s. but they afford her no insight into the life of the newly Awoken King.


	4. Archive: Author's Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all who have subscribed before, this author's note used to be kept at ch. 2, but now ch. 2 has taken it's rightful place, so this little blurb has been moved later.
> 
> I'm sorry if it has caused any problems.

I have to apologize for not being ready today to post.  As I have noted in the amended opening notations, I am changing a bit of the premise for this story.  Zero is no longer going to change into a Vampire woman.  He is instead going to be revealed as a Tauris, a now almost closed biological possibility in light of an apocalyptic event relates to canon only in that Matsuri Hino sensei notes that Vampire Knight is set in a post-apocalyptic world.  I may or may not touch on this event, since I think I am going to be rewriting a bunch of other fics to intertwine with the universe of this series.

Dear readers (January 20, 2016),

I have been hit by a bunny for this fic, and will be revamping (ha!) it yet again. Hopefully it will be ready in the next few days.

Thank you for your dedication if you're still reading despite all my bouts of editing and re-editing and posting.

doomedpassion

Dear Reader (January 21, 2016)

I am still working on this story, but its premise is difficult to re-weave into my original work. Right now, I am working on cropping and adding things to the story to make it go in the direction I want. You don't need to worry much though, all roads lead back to KanaZe or KaZe. 

doomedpassion

P.S. As you have probably noticed, I like archiving my notes to you guys. Sometimes I will leave notes at the end of a chapter, other times I will put them as a separate chapter (these will be about delays in my writing or a tidbit about new plot bunny or links to other fics that I've written that are associated with this series if there are any) and those will most like be archived on this particular page when I post the chapter to which they pertain.

**Author's Note:**

> To those who have subscribed, I have decided to rearrange my original prologue yet again. It is only the last two paragraphs that has been added.


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